A Battle of Wills
by TheDailyKnight
Summary: Slash, AU, Chronology ignored. Merlin finally gets caught out using his magic by Arthur. In the battle of wills that follows as Merlin finally challenges his Prince, whose will shall win through? I do not own Merlin or Arthur. All characters of the story are the property of the relevant owners. No infringement/offense is intended. Merthur story.


**A Battle of Wills**

"Merlin, _what_ is _that_?"

Merlin rose to his knees from where he'd been scrubbing the floor. Arthur had his eyebrows raised in that "you'd–better-come-up-with-a-good-reason-for-this" expression he does so well. Or - as Merlin liked to think of it – his, "I just smelled a dead skunk," look.

"What's what?" asked Merlin, frowning.

"That," replied Arthur levelly.

Merlin followed his gaze to the scrubbing brush next to him, which had apparently taken on a life of its own. He froze, not quite believing what he was seeing. Shit.

"It's... a self-cleaning brush?" he replied weakly as he glanced at it again, allowing his eyes to momentarily flash golden, trying and failing to cancel the spell.

If you'd have blinked, you'd have missed it. Sadly, Arthur didn't blink. When Merlin turned around again it was to find the tip of Arthur's sword against his throat. He'd often wondered, in his more quiet moments, what it was like for Arthur's enemies to gaze up at him from the wrong end of his long, sharp weapon. Now he knew exactly.

"On... your... feet. Now."

"Makes a change from ordering me onto my knees," he muttered, rising slowly, the offending scrubbing brush jerking in hand. "Do this, Merlin, do that, Merlin, Merlin, would you come and taste my-"

"-shut up!"

Arthur cocked his head to one side, staring at him hard.

"Now is not the time for jokes," he replied stiffly. "How long, Merlin?"

Merlin sighed and held up both his hands. Arthur flinched slightly as the brush jolted about in Merlin's grasp, apparently keen to continue its work but in reality creating an obscene gesture. What's more, it seemed to be making it at Arthur himself.

"Since you first met me," replied Merlin, meeting Arthur's gaze. "Would you mind if I stopped this thing? It's making my arm ache."

"Merlin, magic is forbidden!" hissed Arthur, his cheeks bright red. "You can't use it."

"I know what 'forbidden' means, Arthur," replied Merlin, smiling despite his situation. "I would advise you to let me stop it. If I drop it, it will scrub the whole castle away to nothing. I have to keep control of these things. It takes concentration. It takes skill. It doesn't take a Prince waving his weapon in my face. That's not very helpful."

"Put it down."

"Arthur, I really don't think-"

"-No, you don't. That's your problem, Merlin. You don't think. Now, put it down."

"When you have your sword on my throat, how am I meant to do that?"

"Slowly," replied Arthur. "I'll go down with you."

"If only," muttered Merlin, half to himself.

"You doubt my word? Merlin, I could run you through here and now for practicing sorcery."

"But you haven't, have you?" pointed out Merlin as they guardedly crouched down.

"Not yet," replied Arthur. "Now, drop it."

"But, Arthur..."

"Drop it!"

Merlin sighed, glanced at the brush and then let it go. As soon as it touched the floor it skidded off at high speed. The Prince wheeled around, brought his sword up and slammed it down in a powerful arc just as the brush skidded under a table. There was a loud wooden thunk as the sword embedded itself up to the hilt in the tabletop and stuck there. The scrubbing brush made one insolent pass over his boots, then scooted off out of the door before Merlin could grab it.

"Oh, great!" he exclaimed as he stuck his head out into the corridor just in time to see the brush whizz around the corner at the far end. "Thanks a lot! I'll have to find it now!"

A powerful hand suddenly seized his collar and dragged him backwards into the room. He sprawled over Arthur's bed as he landed awkwardly where he had been thrown and rolled just in time to see Arthur slam the door and bar it with his body.

Seldom had he seen his master so angry. Arthur's cheeks were red, his hair damp with sweat and sticking to his forehead. He was almost willing to believe that fire would spew out of his mouth if he opened it. When Arthur spoke, it was in the quietest of whispers, which, Merlin knew, meant that he had passed beyond the realms of mere anger. This was Arthur furious.

Logic told him to find something to hide behind, that if he escaped this with his life he would be lucky. But hadn't the Great Dragon told him that it was his destiny to be at Arthur's side? Surely he couldn't be wrong.

"Give me one good reason why I should not report this to my Father."

Merlin eased himself to the edge of the bed and threw his legs over the edge so that he was sitting comfortably. Strangely, he thought, he wasn't scared. Not of Arthur, or Uther either. Not now. The worst had happened – Arthur knew of his powers. There was no secret between them anymore. Somehow, that calmed him more than anything. His magic was out in the open. He was free.

He sat in silence and examined his fingernails. How many times, he wondered, had magic flown from them in order to save Arthur's life? How many times had those hands healed his wounds when they had been beyond the realms of Gaius' skills? Too many for him to be worried by Arthur's temper now.

"Are you deaf?" demanded Arthur, advancing on him. "I said-"

"-Hold your tongue."

Merlin's words were calm, but the effect was instantaneous. Arthur's tongue froze. He couldn't move it, though he gave it his best shot.

Merlin stood up slowly as Arthur's eyes widened in surprise. His servant seemed to have grown. Oh, he was still the same size as always, but the persona that radiated from him was different. He had suddenly acquired a worrying aura of authority. It was as if the mouse had turned around and bitten the cat and was now slowly backing it into a corner.

"That's better," said Merlin. "Now, if you would be so kind as to sit down and let me think how to answer you."

There was a clash of wills for a short time before Merlin grew bored and raised an eyebrow. A chair walked its way over to Arthur and clipped the back of his legs smartly, making him collapse into it. A golden flash of his eyes later and Arthur found that he could move his tongue again. He opened his mouth to shout, but Merlin held up a cautionary finger and shook his head.

"I wouldn't do that," replied Merlin. "I like you. I don't want to have to hurt you."

"Are you threatening me?"

Merlin sighed and shook his head.

"Arthur, consider it a friendly warning," he replied. "I've just had a sword to my throat. I don't want you to annoy me any further. Just let me think for a minute, will you? This isn't how I wanted you to find out."

Arthur seemed on the brink of arguing, but sensing Merlin's anger he kept quiet.

"You ask why you shouldn't report me to Uther," said Merlin slowly. "You could do that, I grant you. But you'd be putting yourself in mortal danger."

"You _dare_ to threaten me?"

"Silence."

The word was quiet but the effect was stunning. Arthur's voice disappeared so that his ranting looked more like the action of a deranged lipping goldfish. He glared at Merlin, subsided, and sat there with his arms crossed. Another flash of Merlin's eyes restored his voice after a few moments.

"I wasn't threatening you. Actually, I'm more worried about what Uther would do to you if he found out you've been habouring a sorcerer. I'm sorry if it sounded that way, but it's important that you listen. If you don't, you'll never understand. Once you've heard me out, report me to Uther if you wish. But until then, I only ask that you listen. Will you at least do me that courtesy?"

Arthur nodded curtly. "This had better be good, Merlin."

Merlin nodded and began pacing.

"I love you."

Arthur's jaw dropped. It was a simple statement, but it hit him with the force of a cannon ball.

"You... what?"

Merlin waved his hand in the air dismissively. "That's not the most important thing right now."

"Hey... what? You said you love me and then tell me it's not important?"

"Do you love me?" asked Merlin, spinning on his heels, ensuring that he kept Arthur mentally off balance.

Merlin stared into Arthur's eyes. Arthur thought it rather felt like the back of his skull was being scrubbed. His eyes watered as he looked sideways at the window to break their uncomfortable gaze.

"Yes," he replied.

"Good, I'm glad," replied Merlin. "It will make my work here a lot easier."

"What?" asked Arthur, shaking his head in disbelief.

"Who do you think has looked after you all these years?" asked Merlin. "How come you've won every battle we've ever gone into? How do you think you weren't eaten by Drakes in that tower? Who do you think called off Kilgarrah when he attacked Camelot?"

"Who-"

"-The Great Dragon."

"It has a name?" asked Arthur, looking at Merlin in utter bewilderment.

"Of course he does!"

"And just how do you know it?"

"Dragon Lord," replied Merlin, giving Arthur his sunniest smile and pointing at himself. His humour actually lifted him onto his toes for a second or two, before he landed back on his heels.

"Oh."

Silence reigned for a while. Arthur, for once in his life, just didn't know what to say. Merlin didn't seem inclined to give more information. He let the last few shocks sink in.

"Does anybody else know?"

"That I'm a powerful, dragon-loving, prince-teasing, grade-one-cheeky, sexy servant sorcerer?" asked Merlin playfully.

"Yes."

"One or two people, yes."

"Who?"

"I'm not telling you that right now. I want to see how this works out first. I don't want anybody else killed if you get it into your head to tell your father."

Arthur's brow furrowed.

"Morgana?"

At this, Merlin's expression grew dark.

"Her? No. And she can never know. If she knew that I'm Emrys and Dragoon, she'd-"

"You're _Dragoon_!" exploded Arthur, with such force that Merlin actually took two steps back in shock.

He hadn't meant to tell him that. He'd just forgotten himself.

"You kicked me in the side while I was carrying you! You beat some of my finest Knights and stole their horse! You... oh, but it comes back to me now. How could I not have seen it? When I sought out Dragoon's help, you went into the bushes to answer the call of nature. You must have..."

Merlin nodded sheepishly as Arthur threw his head back and ran his hands over his face in shock. When he turned to face him again, he looked exasperated more than angry.

"So that's what Dragoon meant when he kept ranting about how I treat my servants," he said. "It was you all along."

"Err, yeah," replied Merlin. "It was a necessary disguise. I was trying to help. You'd never have let me otherwise."

"So I let you ride on my back."

"It was very comfortable."

"You told your Prince to 'gee up'!"

"Well, you were going slowly."

"I should put you in the stocks for this. Is there anything else you would like to tell me?"

Merlin shuffled his feet.

"Well?"

"Err... where to begin... erm..."

"Go on," pressed Arthur.

"Well, I hatched a baby dragon and called it Aithusa. It's living with Kilgarrah, who I consult regularly on matters concerning your safety. Actually, it's kind of my fault he's flying around again because we made a deal which was in the interests of the Kingdom. I didn't know he was going to try and burn down Camelot. He betrayed me. We didn't speak for a while afterwards, but he now comes to me when I need his advice and call him. Err, oh yes, I helped to cure you when you were a donkey – remember that? With the cute, fluffy ears and the... voice?"

Arthur just stared at him blankly. He really didn't know what to say.

"Anything else?"

Merlin counted the events off on his fingers, thought for a moment, and then said, "Well, those are the main things. There's several hundred smaller ones, but I don't want to bore you."

Arthur choked.

"Several hundred?"

"There must be at least that," replied Merlin. "I remember a few times you've been dying and I've helped to save your skin with my powers. I fought against Morgana for you and... oh yes, I've saved you from having a troll as a mother-in-law."

"And have I mistreated you, like you said as Dragoon?"

"Mostly that was just annoyance at being overworked and underappreciated," replied Merlin, pulling up a seat in front of Arthur. "Normal day-to-day stuff, you know. Like leaving your room in a mess for me to clear up because you're in a bad mood, or making me wear that damn stupid hat to the feast."

"I see," said Arthur. "And the stocks?"

"Cold and draughty."

Arthur moved so quickly that Merlin didn't have a chance to react. He grabbed both his arms and dragged him forward until they were eye-to-eye.

"It won't be the stocks for you this time, Merlin, do you understand me? It will be the prison until I work out what the hell I'm going to do with you!"

"I see," said Merlin coldly. "And if I don't want to go?"

"Oh, you're going," hissed Arthur. "I'm going to drag you there myself, magic or no magic."

To his surprise, Merlin smiled and stood up.

"Well then, we'd better be going."

Arthur led him cautiously from the room, down the corridor and past Gaius, who looked shocked to see the determined expression on both of their faces. As he turned to walk away down the corridor, he almost slipped over on a trail of ice. Following it with his gaze, he could see that it flowed from Merlin's feet and traced the path that he had walked. Obviously he was not happy at all.

They reached the prison at a fast march and Arthur threw Merlin into the cell and put the key in the lock.

"So what are you going to do?" asked Merlin as Arthur clicked it shut.

"I don't know," replied Arthur. "I need to think."

"Good, I can think with you."

Merlin's eyes flashed golden and the lock clicked open.

"Merlin!"

"What?"

"Leave the lock alone!"

He clicked it closed again. Merlin's eyes flashed and it reopened.

"You can't keep me where I don't want to be kept."

"I can."

The lock clicked shut again. This time it didn't re-open.

"I'll let you out again once I've made up my mind. I have a lot to think about."

Arthur turned and strode away, his cloak billowing out around his shoulders. He had reached the top of the dungeon stairs when Merlin tapped him on the shoulder from behind. He spun around and went red as Merlin grinned up at him.

"I thought I heard you call my name and knew that you'd be just dying to see your favourite manservant again. I know you can't manage a minute without me, and that was almost a whole two. Let me look at you," said Merlin, grinning as he took Arthur's cheeks in his hands and turned his head this way and that. "Oooh, you don't look well! You've gone funny colour; kind of fuchsia with a hint of storm cloud purple. Not very attractive on a Prince, you know."

"Get... back... in... that... cell."

"You seem very keen to keep me in chains. Is this something I should be bringing into your bedroom? A leg iron, a nice pair of handcuffs... oh, I know! What about a nice set of stocks that you can keep me in at the end of your bed? If people found out, they'd write about it for years, you a famous King-to-be and all. I bet the girls would love you for it. They'd say, 'That Arthur! He definitely knows how to keep his Merlin happy.'"

"See that blue neckerchief?"

"This one?" asked Merlin, playing with it around his neck.

"Yes."

"What about it?"

"Would you like it stuffed in your mouth to shut you up?"

"Would it make you happy?" asked Merlin, winking cheekily.

"If it shuts you up, I promise I will gladly shove it anywhere you would like it."

"Your mouth, then."

Arthur stared at him in a stew of disbelief and fury. He silently raised his hands to the heavens.

"You will go in the stocks."

"You don't have any."

"What?"

"Well, I got bored while I was wasting away in my cell and guess what stood outside the cell's bars across the courtyard? I couldn't let them stand there and slowly rot."

Arthur closed his eyes and massaged his temples.

"What... did... you... do?"

"I made them rot faster," replied Merlin simply.

Arthur stared at him for a moment, then grabbed him by the arm and dragged him out into the courtyard where, true to his word, a large pile of compost lay steaming in the sunshine where the stocks had once stood. As he watched, poppies sprang up at alarming speed until they formed a rather attractive mound in the surrounding sea of grey stone.

"We are going to Uther, now!" shouted Arthur, the last vestiges of control lost. Drawing his sword, he pointed it at Merlin's back. "Move!"

"Oh, fine! I'm going, I'm going!" replied Merlin as he walked at sword-point up the stairs and into the main corridor. "Gosh, I would have thought that you'd be impressed. Your new lover has finally shown that he's your equal in terms of power, but noooo – that can't be good enough because he knows magic and that's not allowed. Daddy forbids it. Bad boy, slap my wrist for having a skill that I've saved your life with. After all the floors I have scrubbed for you, clothes I've stitched, sweaty armour I've polished, underwear I've enlarged the front of because you can't find stuff big enough for your-"

"-Shut up, Merlin. Just walk."

"Ok, fine! I'm shutting up. This is me shutting up. You'll notice that I am definitely shut up."

"Clotpole."

"Prat."

"Dollophead."

"Wilderen."

"Ouch! What is it with you knights? I've told the knights once and I'll tell you now: that is a sword, Arthur, it does hurt!"

"Well, keep moving then! We're almost there."

"You really don't have to do this, Arthur."

"You haven't given me a choice."

The doors to the Great Hall were flung open, but what greeted them made them both stop in their tracks.

"Morgana! What... How did you...?"

All thought of his quarrel with Merlin lost, Arthur stepped towards the slender figure seated on the throne; The King's throne, sans the King. Merlin grabbed his arm and pulled him back.

"Don't!" he hissed. "She'll destroy you!"

"Ah, how touching," drawled Morgana as she got to her feet and prowled, leopard-like towards them. "The Prince and his future Queen."

"What are you talking about!" snapped Arthur.

"Now, now. Temper, temper, dear brother. I heard you two arguing earlier. I was outside your door. I hid behind the tapestry as the scrubbing brush slid past. Imagine my surprise when I learned who it belonged to. You gave me just enough time to put my affairs in order."

"Where is Uther?"

"Resting," replied Morgana. "Soon he'll rest forever, you shall be dead and I shall be Queen."

"But, the guards... how did you get in without alerting them?"

Morgana smiled at Arthur's question. "My dear brother," she replied, "you of all people know that they like their drink. It wasn't hard to bewitch the kitchen staff and give them a little something extra in their mead. When they awake, they will remember none of this and you... well, you and your precious Merlin will be dead."

Arthur drew his sword, but to his surprise, Merlin stepped in front of him to face her.

"I swear, Morgana, that you will not touch a hair on his head as long as I live."

"So, the servant wizard, and with no staff. Should I call you The Rune-less Wonder? To think that I was scared of you, Emrys. Had I have known you were just Merlin... what a delightful disguise. No wonder I could never make my plans work. What do you plan to do about it, Merlin? You have nothing that could make me fear you."

"If you try to harm him, I will make you fear. You heard his question. Where is Uther?"

Morgana waved a lazy hand towards the fireplace. The air shimmered and there lay Uther, in the grate, his head towards them. He was breathing, but otherwise his body was a still as death.

"What have you done to him?" demanded Arthur, once again restrained by Merlin's outstretched arm.

"He's been given Agromanthus Juice in his food," replied Morgana. "He's paralysed, but he can hear and see everything. It's better this way. He can watch his son die before the poison kills him and know that there is nothing he can do to stop it. I had intended to let him watch while invisible, but this is more fun, don't you think?"

It happened so fast that Arthur barely had time to react. Morgana scythed a hand forward and Merlin shoved him to the ground just as the first sparks of yellow power flowed from her fingertips. As he rolled over on the floor to face them, he heard Merlin yell something and felt the room take on a charge that seemed to shoot towards him. As Morgana's curse almost reached him, his fingers let loose an ear-splitting torrent of noise that sounded like a thunderclap, and a jet of brilliant electric blue power arced from them and struck her own curse, forcing it to stop.

The battle was joined and a great wind howled around the hall as the two spells fought one another for dominance. It seemed to go on forever but, as Uther and Arthur looked on powerless, Merlin slowly seemed to be getting the upper hand. He was pushing her spell slowly, inch-by-painful inch, back towards her.

A quick flick of her free hand upwards brought down a rain of rubble near where Arthur lay and he only just rolled out of the way in time to avoid being hit. Merlin glanced at him, saw he was unharmed, and then redoubled his energy. Rage drove him on now. Fuck the Kingdom, fuck the rules! They didn't matter now. How dare she! How dare she try to harm the one he loved!

His spell reached her with an loud bang and she flew backwards as it forged its way through the last remnants of the curse and blasted her across the room. As she struggled to her feet, Merlin waved a hand at Uther. A cloud of orange smoke appeared, drifted over and settled on him as Merlin turned his attention back towards Morgana.

"Tend to your Father, make him breathe it in," he shouted to Arthur as Morgana tottered forward. "I'll deal with her."

Arthur dodged some bolts of magic as he dashed across the hall to his father's side before Merlin intercepted Morgana with a blast of his own at her feet, bringing her to a standstill. She glared at him hatefully.

"You will come no further, Morgana," said Merlin, trembling with rage. "I will not allow it. You will leave this place at once."

"Make me!" she spat.

Seconds later, the air was filled with the crashing of curse on curse and the shriek of the air being ripped apart around them as they fought again, slowly circling one another, testing for weaknesses. All the noise finally raised the attention of the further guards, who rushed in to see what was going on.

Arthur yelled at them to stay back on Merlin's brief gesture to him, and they stared as Merlin, the Prince's humble manservant, unleashed a dreadful array of magic against their sworn enemy. Then it was over, as suddenly as it had started. Morgana shielded herself, turned and ran, Merlin's curses bouncing off of the invisible barrier she had created in the throne room. As the guards rushed to move after her, Merlin shouted, "Halt!"

It was such a commanding tone that they couldn't help but obey. Even Arthur nearly found himself standing to attention.

"Arthur, they must not follow her. She's too dangerous. Let her run. If they corner her, they're as good as dead. There will be another day. She won't linger, she knows she's beaten."

Arthur looked at Uther, who had regained enough movement to nod his head.

"The... the boy is right," he gasped. "Secure Camelot and search everywhere. Be sure that she has left. In the meantime, I want a word with you two."

Arthur and Merlin looked at one another anxiously as they helped Uther across the room and onto his throne. Gaius was sent for and before long arrived, carrying an array of antidotes. When he was quite satisfied that the King would live, he stepped back and stood next to Arthur and Merlin as Uther surveyed them closely.

The dreadful silence dragged on and on as Uther continued to think. A few times he made as if to speak, but then stopped himself and went on thinking. Finally, he spoke.

"Merlin, I confess myself surprised."

Merlin looked down at his feet. This was it. Make or break.

"To be nothing more than the loyalist, lowest of servants to my son and yet to command such power in the face of a formidable adversary is... well, there are no words for it. Humbling, will do for now. And quite shocking."

"Sire, if I may speak."

"You have earned that right, at least."

"Sire, I know what your views on magic are, and I expect that you will have my head for what I have just done. I have flagrantly broken the laws of this country, for which I am deeply sorry. But I could not stand by and watch Morgana take control. I could not stand by and watch you be killed. And above all, I would not stand by and watch the love of my life come to harm. I beg that you will take this into consideration when passing sentence."

"Father?"

"Yes?"

"Would you spare him, for me? I beg you."

To Merlin's great surprise, Arthur went down on one knee and bowed to his King.

"Get up," he said after a few moments. "I can hardly kill him after the service he has rendered us today."

Arthur rose as Uther continued, "Merlin, I want to be very clear in what I say now and I wish you to obey me to the letter, do you understand?"

Merlin nodded.

"Good. Merlin, it is obvious that you think highly of my son. What the two of you get up to in your own time I have no wish to know. Should you become my unofficial son-in-law in time is a matter for Arthur to decide. But while I am King, you will never be Arthur's public partner, do you understand? I cannot allow it, it would show weakness in our line and that we can ill afford. Arthur must marry out of duty and I will not change that. He will need an heir, after all. But I'm willing to overlook his obligations beyond this and if an heir is produced by means other than marriage then I will be... satisfied that he has done his duty. Arthur may change this once I am dead and buried, but I will not.

"Secondly, you have made a dangerous enemy today. I suspect, however, that this is not the first time you have fought my former Ward under whatever name you have gone by. I am going to make you an exception to the rule, Merlin, for the loyalty and devotion that you have shown your King and Prince today, but I wish to be clear that I am doing so only as long as your magic is not made public knowledge. I will be unable to protect you if you are caught in public. The laws of our land forbid it and, as upholder of those laws, I cannot change them."

"You could," said Arthur.

"No, I couldn't," replied Uther. "We would have no way of protecting ourselves against magical threats if I did, and I'm sure those would increase if I allowed magic to be practiced freely. I am making a concession that does not come lightly to me, so please, Arthur, just be quiet for once in your life."

Arthur bowed his head and remained silent.

"As for you, Gaius, I don't know how long you've known or even if you knew, but you are to ensure that Merlin is able to uphold his secrecy, am I clear?"

"Perfectly, Sire," replied Gaius.

"Very well," said Uther. "Now, I have repaid you both for your loyalty today. Please do not make me live to regret it. That will be all. You are all dismissed. I need to think."

All three bowed and made their way out. Once the doors had shut behind them they all let out a sigh of relief.

"Well, that went well," said Merlin. "Do you think the guards will talk?"

"They're bound to," replied Arthur. "I'll keep a lid on them though. They will obey me."

"You two are very, very lucky indeed," said Gaius. "Merlin, I don't know how many times I have told you about using your magic where people can see it! But, this time, I'm glad you did. I will see you this evening. I suspect you two have a lot to talk about."

"Gaius, I'd rather keep Merlin this evening if it's all the same to you," replied Arthur. "He's fallen badly behind with his chores."

Gaius nodded.

"As you wish, Sire."

With that he turned and walked off. As he made his way down the next corridor he heard Merlin exclaim, "What chores?" and started to laugh. It was a deep chuckle of merriment that continued until he was almost breathless. So, Merlin had finally revealed himself to Arthur and Arthur had had to cede to him at last. It was about time, he thought, as he went out into the sunlight to go and gather some herbs for his medicines in the fields outside Camelot.

Merlin was exhausted. He'd polished armour, mucked out the stables, assisted the Prince in his jousting preparations and tidied his room. He sat wearily on the stool at the end of Arthur's bed, waiting for him to come in from his late dinner. All he would have to do is prepare him for bed and then he could, mercifully, turn in for the night.

The door opened and Arthur walked in, grinning from ear to ear. He spotted Merlin and tutted playfully as he closed the door behind him.

"Falling asleep on the job?"

"Just resting my eyes," replied Merlin with a grin.

Despite Arthur's shortcomings, he did care about the Royal Prat.

"Come on then," said Arthur, walking over to him as Merlin stood up. "Help me out of these."

As Merlin untied various articles of clothing, Arthur asked, "Did you get my bath ready?"

"Yes, it's over there by the fire," said Merlin. "You got a new tub, I see."

"Yes, it's bigger than the old one. I figured I wanted more room."

"It took me twice as long to fill," replied Merlin, finishing unknotting the various fastening and stepping back a pace.

To his surprise, Arthur reached out and stroked his cheek with the back of his hand. It was an extraordinarily tender gesture from a Prince usually so rash.

"Why have you stopped?" he asked as Merlin blushed.

"I... did I? You usually take it from here behind the screen," replied Merlin. "You know, once I've loosened everything, you go behind it and I leave for the night."

Arthur slipped his arms around Merlin's waist and pulled him close. If that was something Merlin didn't expect it was nothing compared to what he felt pressed against his hip.

"You're not leaving tonight," Arthur whispered. "I would love you to stay and wash me."

Merlin's mouth went dry. Had he just heard that correctly?

"But won't I get wet?" he asked, his mind not paying attention to what his mouth was saying.

"Of course you will, Clotpole," replied Arthur, kissing him tenderly on the lips. "That's the whole idea when you're sharing a bath with me."

Merlin shivered as Arthur kissed him again. It was powerful, yet soft and tender; confident, yet with a trace of anxiousness. Merlin opened his eyes again only when Arthur shook him gently.

"Come on, let me help you. It's been a tough day and we both need to wind down."

The next few minutes as Arthur slowly stripped him until he was bare were a blur in Merlin's mind. He only really focussed hazily when Arthur helped in into the bath with him and turned to lean back against his chest. Wet warmth enveloped them as the heat of the fire and the water soothed away their aches.

"Merlin?" said Arthur as he guided Merlin's hand gently across his toned chest.

"Yes?"

"You're beautiful."

"I know."

At this, they both chuckled and Merlin plucked up the courage to run both hands over his Prince's fine body. His first amongst equals. It was a strange thought, but that's what they seemed to be now. Equals in power, a fact now known and respected between them. Their powers lay in different arenas, but they were there just the same.

"Thank you for all you did today," Arthur said. "Who knew that finding out about your power would be so... wonderful? I'm sorry for how I reacted. I'm so glad my father decided to spare you. I was stupid to have involved him, but you just annoyed me so much that I didn't think straight."

"I think," replied Merlin thoughtfully, "that I may just forgive you, considering how everything's turned out. It could have been nasty, I agree, but I was never in any real danger."

Arthur frowned.

"How so?" he asked. "Look what has happened to all the other magic users who my father has found out about."

Merlin chuckled grimly. "Do you think, after standing up to you, turning a set of stocks into compost, standing up to your father and telling him what I thought of him as Dragoon and facing down The Great Dragon in a bad mood, I would worry about your father's temper?"

Arthur considered the question closely. "I suppose not," he replied. "But... I'm curious. If he had decided to have you executed, what would you have done about it?"

Merlin thought about the answer for quite a while and, for a change, Arthur waited patiently.

"Well," he replied eventually, "I'd have broken his bloody arm for a start."

Then, without quite knowing why, both of them burst into laughter as the suspense of the moment was broken. Arthur slipped himself around, turned Merlin away from him and began to rub his back down. As he slipped his hand over Merlin's chest from behind, he chuckled as his finger's found Merlin's nipples and gave them a playful tweak. Merlin gasped and lay back against his chest as his hands continued their soothing progress down.

All too soon the fantastic, teasing exploration was over. The water had cooled as they had lounged in it for so long and, as they got out, Arthur stopped Merlin from drying himself. Instead, he gestured to a rug in front of the hearth and invited Merlin to stretch out on it with him in front of the roaring fire. He did so happily, spooning against his naked prince as Arthur's strong arms embraced him so that one of his arms was supporting his neck from behind and the other was draped over his torso.

They didn't speak. They didn't need to. Merlin revelled in the closeness. He loved the smell of Arthur anyhow, but freshly washed he was something else altogether. Far, far better than sweaty from the battlefield. As Arthur's hand caressed his side and he felt soft kisses being gently planted on his neck, Merlin closed his eyes. It wasn't until he felt Arthur's hand begin to stay lower that he opened them, chuckled and stood up.

"Hey, Merlin, I'm sorry!" blurted out Arthur, flustered by Merlin's sudden extraction from their shared bliss.

"It's time for you to be going to bed like a good Prince," teased Merlin as Arthur got to his feet.

He backed away slowly, leading Arthur towards the bed. As he flicked back the covers, he smiled.

"Oops."

"What's wrong?"

"I forgot to put the bed warmer in."

"That will not be necessary tonight, Merlin."

"Oh, and why not?"

"You'll do the job quite nicely."

Merlin rolled his eyes in mock exasperation. "Work, work, work and more work!"

Arthur playfully cuffed him around the back of the head.

"You are still my manservant, you know."

"I know. So, Sire," said Merlin, standing to mock attention with a coy smile hanging on his lips. "Before we go to bed, is there anything else you would like of me?"

Arthur chuckled, kissed him gently and nodded.

"And what is that, Sire?"

"On your knees, Merlin," whispered Arthur.

Merlin kept eye contact with him as he slid provocatively lower, the cheeky grin and twinkle in his eye becoming more pronounced the lower he went. He cupped his Prince's bottom in his hands, gently kneading the perfectly-formed cheeks as he said meekly, "Yes, Sire."

Arthur grinned widely at the twinkle in his manservant's eye and his broad grin. If this was what it took to make Merlin pay attention to his commands, he could live with it, he thought as he ran his fingers through Merlin's hair, happily playing with it.

"There will be no more insubordination from you tonight, will there, Merlin?"

"No, Sire."

"And you promise to be a good partner to me?"

"Yes, Sire."

"And to do your duties well, to the best of your considerable skills?"

"Yes, Sire."

"Then, Merlin..."

"Yes, Sire?"

"Work your magic."

Merlin slipped his hand slowly up his Prince's – and now his - most prized possession, giving him the sexiest, cheekiest grin he could as he felt Arthur pulse strongly in anticipation.

He leaned forward teasingly and opened his mouth.

"Certainly, Sire."

When he bowed, he knew that the moan he heard from above would be one that he would never forget.

**The End**

17


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